Supporting Children with Cerebral Palsy

We are training caregivers to conduct physical therapy so they can help improve the motor skills and mobility of children with Cerebral Palsy.

SITUATION

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a loss or impairment of motor function caused by brain damage while a child’s brain is still developing and can occur before, during or immediately after birth. Cerebral Palsy affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. In Africa, there is insufficient knowledge of what risk factors cause and contribute to the development of CP and a lack of necessary resources to provide occupational, language or speech therapy for children with Cerebral Palsy. While some services are available in South Africa for children with CP, these services are largely inhibited by limited staff and hospital resources, and by the remote locations of families who have difficulty accessing these health services. In Lesotho, there are barely any resources to help children living with Cerebral Palsy. Children with this condition often lie immobile, the pain etched on their faces—pain that is reflected in the faces of their parents and caregivers who feel powerless to help them.

OUR IMPACT

With proper therapy, children with CP can improve their muscle control and motor skills. Through your help, we are partnering again with the respected, Johannesburg based not for profit, Malamulele Onward NPC, to train parents (through our Carer-2-Carer training program) in conducting physical therapy so they can help improve the mobility of nearly 400 children and improve their overall wellbeing. We also provide a caring and supportive home environment which will enable the children to flourish and to grow. Our Malamulele Onward project builds upon our past work in South Africa, dating back to the 1990s with the Nelson Mandela Fund, and is a great way for you to make a difference in the lives of children with Cerebral Palsy. Your support enables them to be able to move more freely, experience less pain and discomfort, and live to their full potential.

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” – Nelson Mandela